


A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

by crystalrdrk



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angsty exposition but mostly fluff, Artist/Photographer Kim Taehyung, Bet ya ass Woozi is his younger brother, CL is Yoongi's older sister LMAO, Colors are visible but dull unless you meet your soulmate, Fluff and Humor, I NEED THIS OKAY, Jeon Jungkook Is Bad at Feelings, Jeon Jungkook is Misunderstood, Kim Taehyung is a Sunshine Boy, M/M, MINOR angst istg, My First AO3 Post, Slow Build, Soulmates exist but are hella rare, Strangers to Lovers, Woozi can see the Red Strings of Fate, Writer/Poet Jeon Jungkook, jin and jimin are the straight ones WHAT A TWIST, seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-21 03:57:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13732644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalrdrk/pseuds/crystalrdrk
Summary: Taehyung has waited for years, clinging to the slight hope that he could be lucky enough to have a soulmate. But apparently, no one ever wrote a guide on what to do when your soulmate ignores your existence.ORsoulmate AU where the boy wearing black helps taehyung see colors





	A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

**Author's Note:**

> "a picture's worth a thousand words  
> but you can't see what those  
> shades of gray keep covered  
> you should've seen it in color"

 

> “Capturing a moment requires hunting skill
> 
> You must find perfection
> 
> In subject, in lighting, in ambiance
> 
> In aesthetic, in structure, in balance
> 
> In angling, in majesty, in beauty  
>    
> 
> 
> Film is unforgiving, film is eternal
> 
> Film is limited, film is fragile
> 
> You cannot review and try again
> 
> Guesswork is required
> 
> Detecting raw beauty in daily life  
>    
> 
> 
> But the hours spent in that cramped room
> 
> Illuminated only by shades of crimson
> 
> Become so validated after
> 
> A tender chemical bath
> 
> Watching your hard work appear
> 
> So boldly; on ageless, glossy paper”  
>    
> 
> 
>  — The textbook passage that put Taehyung to sleep (2018)

 

* * *

   
Kim Taehyung hates his major. He loathes the tedious, repetitive processes and procedures necessary for developing. He despises the exact measurement, the burning odor, the uncomfortable cling of latex gloves.  
  
But he loves photography.  
  
He adores the way a photo can encompass any story, every emotion. He relishes the beauty that can be found: whether in the simplest of situations, or when surrounded by the most extravagant, lavish scenery.  
  
Unfortunately, he was born lacking. Even now, as he approaches the tender advanced age of twenty-two, his most pressing question remains unanswered: why gift an eye for photography, while depriving one of the most important factor?  
  
Color.

The world, in Taehyung’s view, is composed of black, white, and a number of their variants. That is not to say that everything is devoid of pigmentation. Take any introductory course on philosophy, and you’ll find the possibility of color truly not existing at all— but even Taehyung can see what’s in front of him. He’s aware of the sky being blue, he can spot the flowing green hues that characterize grass, he notes the multiple shades of autumn leaves. He has always possessed a sight for beauty, and yet, even the most enthralling of subjects have been severely lacking.  
  
One does not live and escape childhood unscathed. Adolescence is a time for learning, for socializing, for storytelling. No-one is quite sure when exactly soulmates became an actual, factual ideology. Every children’s book features a similar plotline: a conflict, a villain, a resolution, and, arguably the most importantly of all: a protagonist who finds their soulmate. It’s everywhere, and Taehyung noticed as early as he could even speak. A cinematic experience is incomplete without a destined partner, no literary adventure is satisfying without the red strings of fate wreaking "havoc." Twelve-year old Taehyung lived, breathed, and dreamed of the day he would meet his soulmate.  
  
Until he learned the truth.  
  
  ・・・  
  
_He was at a classmate’s birthday party, when everything he knew came into question. He’d spent hours perfecting the admittedly horrid wrapping job of an action figure that he himself had wanted. His mother was his partner in crime, laughing softly each time she handed over another strip of clear tape. She took photos of him. Some, where his little tongue was poking out between his chocolate-milk-mustache embossed lips. Others, the panic in his expressive eyes nearly palpable as he accidentally tore another hole in the fragile paper. Later on, Taehyung would wonder if his mother ever longed to see what she never once did. She died before meeting her fate, as many do, and as Taehyung eventually realized that he would too._  
  
_“Tae Tae, I love him!”_ _A small boy endowed with a cheap, bejeweled plastic crown exclaimed—  genuine smile lighting up delicate features as he tossed the mess of paper and tape aside. It had been an exhausting battle, but the prize was surely worth it._  
_  
_ “I’m glad, Hobi-Hyung! Now we just need to get his soulmate so he can rescue her from the clutches of evil Doctor Craze!”

_It wasn't Taehyung's best friend that responded to such an innocent suggestion. Making his presence known, another boy had spoken up, the squeaky tone of voice unfamiliar and unwelcome. Taehyung, who had always possessed a flair for the dramatic, recalls him as a hooded figure, cloaked in shadows. That voice, prepubescent and overly smug, had to have been the voice of evil personified._

_“Hey, you know that soulmates don't meet for real! He can just marry Hoseok's sister's Barbie instead of waiting for the impossible! Stupid Taehyung.”_

_Taehyung left the party with a favor bag, a bloodied nose, and a broken heart.  
_

**・・・**  
  
**impossible**

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is something I had an idea for and decided to try my hand at. I'm not particularly confident in my writing skill— plus I don't have anyone to serve as a "beta reader." I'm hoping that someone will enjoy this! I'll be posting when I can, in total there will probably be less than ten chapters. Thanks for taking interest!


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